The Ordinary Ravenclaw Witch
by xmusecliox
Summary: Being a Seventh Year isn't all it's cracked up to be. Being an almost finished Seventh Year is even worse, Lena Piper does not want to be a grownup. Nobody tells the first years that you get dragged out of Hogwarts while some squirt steals your bed. After NEWTs, epic quidditch failure and careers meetings Lena discovers we can't all be 'save the world' material.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **This is just something I've been writing for fun, I have about half a dozen chapters but after that no definite plan. So I might be pretty regular with this in the beginning. This isn't beta read or anything and my grammar is appalling at best but feel free to point anything out :)

-If you don't like girly OC's look away now-

**Chapter 1: Eating dirt.**

In that half world of a split second, a familiar calm drowned out the adrenalin buzz in my head, I could see the snitch hovering innocently above the Gryffindor hoops. Without thinking I launched upwards towards it, Harry Potter, Gryffindor seeker shot to life behind me, three seconds late. From the shouting below our chasers were trying to get past Wood with the quaffle, stretched out across my trusty cleansweep I reached out for the little ball of glory. Triumph made me smile as I closed my fingers, but then came the sickening crunch. In all the excitement I'd missed the bludger streaking towards me, and now it was disintegrating my broom to splinters.

The free fall was actually a thing of beauty, if it wasn't so terrifying, I'd like to think I'd enjoy sky diving but at that moment in time I was more preoccupied with the landing. The chasers and Gryffindor keeper below hadn't realised I was falling yet, my screams must have blended with their shouts. The roar of the stands as I hurdle down past make the players look around in confusion but none of them think to look up, except Wood. Brown eyes widen when he realises I'm headed straight for him.

So much for being a keeper though, he didn't even have the thought to catch me, I just careened into him and he fell off his damn broom.  
I wish I could say I at least copped a feel of his muscles or something but we were a tangle of limbs and he swore when I accidently elbowed him in the face.  
I hit something hard and my vision exploded with pain, at this point it would have been nice to black out but I'd had so many knocks on the head by now that my brain just didn't shut off. That and Hooch doesn't let us fly for two months after a long blackout, most seekers learn to will themselves awake.  
Wow, the pain really is making me babble, my vision is still kinda blurry but I can see my team starting to land around me.  
When Pomfrey levitates me I whimper like a little girl and the journey to the castle jostles every broken bone and bruise. Still in my dreamlike haze I can feel myself watching wide eyed at the Hogwarts stairs immediately sweeping into our path, sensing the emergency, but the Hospital wing is on the first floor and what seems like miles is really only a few yards.  
The sheets are freshly smelling but I barely feel the bed,  
"Put the boy over there Professors," I see the tiny Flitwick and Snape, of all people, shouldering the burly Wood over to a bed. How on earth is he still standing?  
"You were lucky, hitting Mr Wood slowed your descent Miss Piper. Do you want me to put you out for the bone setting?" I shook my head, sleeping draughts didn't agree with me unfortunately, the peaceful slumber wasn't worth the vomiting when I woke. Pomfrey knew from experience and just nodded.  
"Just a pain ease potion then," flicking her wand a medicine trolley wheeled over. Unstoppering a bright purple bottle she dropped a few drops into my open mouth and soon the sickly sweet potion started to work, the pain dulling to an ache.  
Leaving the potion to its devices she bustled over to Wood, the potion has returned a little clarity and I can see the black eye sharp against his pale face.  
"Very lucky, Mr Wood to just break the leg," Pomfrey mutters, he declines the sleeping draught with an enquiry as to whether he'll be able to leave quicker without it.  
"Leave?" the matrons face is staunch, "What on earth is students obsession with leaving, where do plan on going Mr Wood, Avalon?"  
He mutters something about liking his own bed and she chuckles, "Very, but only if I can get that nasty break to heal properly."

"Feeling better?" she returns to my bedside and starts her complicated series of diagnostic spells, "Quidditch in a school, really the Headmaster should know by now it's just too dangerous."  
I think I'd be better to keep quiet on that front but she keeps talking away to herself anyway, "You're such a fragile little thing to be playing such a rough sport."  
There's a snort from my right, I take it Wood doesn't think I'm very fragile, I give him the finger in reply when Pomfrey's turned the other way. This potion's working wonders, I smile at the ceiling, Eddy would die for some of this stuff. It's a wonder my blonde friend hasn't managed to get in here yet, if he's smoking behind the greenhouses instead of laying prostrate with worry at the foot of my bed I'll hex him when I get out.  
"Well Miss Piper, three broken ribs, snapped collar bone as well as fractures of the pelvis and femur. I'll be up all night just fixing the collar bone," scowling at me she shakes her head, "I'll do the ribs first, no doubt that's the worst of the pain and I'll see to Mr Wood's leg before we mend everything else, okay?"

I guess so captain, damn, I'd be lucky if she lets me out in a week.

The next morning I feel much better, true to her word Pomfrey worked all night to mend my fractures. Instead of a sleeping draught we tried some sort of calming potion which got me nodded off in no time.  
"You know, there is a screen Wood," I inform the dark haired boy as he changes out of his slept in quidditch gear, Lionel Boot smirks from the chair beside his bed. Startled the keeper and captain almost falls over trying to get a leg in his trousers.  
"Christ, Piper, can't a man change in peace, you're supposed to be asleep?" he half asks, half growls.  
"The sight of your glory woke me up, what time is it anyway?" rubbing the sleep from my eyes I try to pull myself up the bed, wincing in pain I give up before the opportunist that is Lionel leaps to help.  
"Lunch time, managed to miss Potions with the Slytherins," Woods grins, shoving his feet in his shoes.  
"Lionel, that hand doesn't need to be so low," I warn, he only laughs good naturedly as I find myself upright.  
Throwing himself back in his chair we watch his friend limp to the mirror to do his tie, "Mr Wood?!" an infuriated Pomfrey marches out of her office, "You aren't supposed to be out of bed until dinner time."  
Shrugging he just flattens his hair, "I feel alright, I can't miss transfiguration after lunch Madam Pomfrey, I'm failing as it is."  
Merlin, he's nearly gave me shivers, the matron's anger wilts at the full force of his Scottish accent and dopey brown eyes. Boot winks at me before getting up and throwing an arm over his mates shoulder, "Don't worry Poppy I'll keep him right, I'll make him check in here later and everything."  
Without further ado Boot saunters out, Wood limping alongside him.  
Pomfrey turns to me in a fluster, looking slightly red cheeked, "Don't think you're going anywhere!"

I'm still twiddling my thumbs, bored, twenty minutes later, although I will admit I feel like I've been hit by the knight bus. As if on cue, Eddy crashes through the door, tie undone and cloak slung over one shoulder.  
"The nicest day in Scotland and your lazy arse is sitting in hospital, really Lena?" he grins before dumping a pile of parchment on the bed.  
"Homework?" I make a face.  
"Be a good little Ravenclaw and be happy I made extra notes," smiling I flick through the new assignments.  
"What's this?"  
"Transfig project," he ruffles his hair in the mirror above my bed, vain boy, "yeah you're Wood's partner, both of you were absent so McGonagall made you partners so everyone else could work in class."  
"Who's your partner?" Ed shuffles his feet and preoccupies with looking at himself in the mirror. Sly dog, he abandoned me in transfig, McGonagall choosing my backside.  
"Colleen Moonfield,"  
"Doesn't she normally partner with Wood?" supposedly not his girlfriend, but then again if it isn't a quaffle Wood's likely to miss a horde of naked American cheerleaders.  
"Well yeah, but we wanted to get started early,"  
I just grin, "So did she talk about Oliver the whole time or did you get a look in?"  
"Oliver who?"  
"Moody git with big brown eyes and muscles and an accent and-"  
"Ok I get it, but hey, once you go claw you never go back," he flicked his blue tie at me.  
Our conversation is cut short by Roger Davies creeping in through the doors,  
"It's alright Rod, she left before lunch," I reassure him, got to give it to old Pomfrey, she could make most 6 and 7th year boys quake.  
"Thank God, the run I got last night for putting poor unsuspecting _fragile_ girls on the team, wouldn't let me in," sighing he throws himself into my bedside chair, Eddy makes himself comfortable at the foot of the bed.  
"I'm fine by the way, no serious injuries," my sarcasm is lost to him,  
"Aw great. Potter caught the snitch after you fell by the way," his face goes a bit stormy, "we lost, what happened? One minute you're cruising around looking for the damn thing and then you're taking out Wood after falling off your broom."  
"I didn't fall off," wanker,"a stray bludger blew my cleansweep to bits, Wood was just a casualty."  
"Damon and Aaron really need to sharpen up, those Weasley twins were even better this year." Already you could see the strategies running through his head, which is pointless since Damon is a 7th year like me and that was his last match.  
"How come Wood got off alright anyway, he only broke a leg?"  
"Landed in the sand bunker below the hoops, the lucky sod. You just missed it and hit the grass," Eddy shook his head.  
"Well hope you recover and all that Piper," Rodger got up, "Cho's looking better this month," I'm sure she is you randy git, I tune him out as he informs me how her ligament injuries have cleared up and that she can play next year.


	2. Chapter 2

*I changed G vs R match to sort of mid/end of March, accidental but then once written it was too hard to change. Scotland would never get niceish weather in January (which was when the Gryff/raven match occurred in Prisoner of Azkaban). Suspend your disbelief people, I hate remembering the timeline of these books :)  
Also, I own nothing, J.K. Rowling is the genius.

Chapter 2- A Ravenclaw in… Divination?

Lisette is waiting for me as I exit the hospital wing the next morning,  
"Well, are you okay? How did Eddy get in?" huffily she shakes her head, "I tried to, but Pomfrey kept catching me."  
"Nah I'm fine, Eddy caught her going out. Luck I guess, Rodger came around too."  
"Hot Rod actually managed to visit his injured player?" she widened her almond eyes in exaggeration.  
"Pretty much to tell me that Cho is ready to get back on the team next year," she snorted in disgust, "oh and to inform me we lost too."  
A tall, slightly menacing Slytherin passes us on the stairs, "Hey Lis," he nods, before continuing on his merry way. Seeing my gaping expression she shrugs, "oh it's just Antony Rowle, my herbology partner."  
"Didn't tell me you had a Slytherin in Herbology," she shrugs, "Especially one that, you know, _smiles_."  
Laughing I stiffly shuffle out of the way as she pretends to shove me towards the wall, "What? It's good, he's even got nice teeth!"

Glumly I climb the spiral staircase to the common room and the knocker asks a potions riddle which Lis answers for me. I can never get the potions ones, Transfiguration's more my thing.  
The common room is a blaze of light, Eddy wasn't lying when he said I'd been missing good weather and it was only March.  
"Have you started revising for potions yet?" It's our first Newt but I haven't opened a book, contrary to popular believe not all us Ravenclaws are smart and studious. I have intelligence, I'm just not sure which kind.  
"Nope, you don't know what this Transfiguration project I have is all about?"  
We sit down by one of the windows, "Eddy garbled something, I gathered it was to do with Colleen but I didn't get much more sense from him."  
"Guess I'll find out later," everyone is only starting to get up for breakfast but when Penelope, Velma and Camilla come down the stairs we join them for the walk to the Great Hall.  
"Are you okay Lena? You fell like a rag doll," Penny flicks her curly hair.  
"Still a bit bruised and stiff, but Pomfrey managed to patch everything else up," I smile at the grey eyed girl.  
"Well how was it?" Velma asks, evil eyeing a group of Hufflepuff girls as we walk past. Velma and Hufflepuff girls are sworn enemies.  
"How was what?" I ask as we wait for a swivelling staircase.  
"The ride down?"  
I think she's finally lost it, instead she's grinning at my blank look.  
Here it comes, "Oh you know, the one that happened after you fell on Oliver Wood."  
"I never noticed, too busy hurdling to the ground and all."  
The girl is seriously demented.

Breakfast at the Ravenclaw table is a fairly sedate affair, the Gryffindors behind us make most of the noise and chuck food around while the Hufflepuffs on our other side are just generally chatty. The other three girls sit at the top of the table, across from Penny's boyfriend Percy, we sit at the other end where Eddy has his nose in a History book, again, and steadily shovels eggs into his mouth without looking at his plate.  
"You know Ed, I don't think Colleen would be impressed by your table manners," he comically drops the book to shush Lis.  
"Don't worry, she's at the other end of their table, "I tell him while buttering toast.  
"Oh look, she's sitting beside _Oliver_," Lis chuckles while finishing a herbology essay.  
"They're just friends," glaring at us the blond returns to his book.  
"Sure, I'd be just friends with Wood too." Lis raises an eyebrow at me.  
"Shut up you two," the poor boy groans and gets up. "I'm off to Transfiguration, I can't take much more of this at half nine in the morning."  
The pair of us giggle like we're twelve but the ringing bell sends us to our first class, noticeably the quidditch team avoided me like the plague all through breakfast.

Eddy is heading the line for Transfiguration but seeing him chatting to a red headed Colleen outside the door I decide to just wait at the back. The four other Gryffindor girls are gossiping ahead of me but I try to tune out their vicious dissection of the match.  
"You alright?" Damon leans against the wall beside me, dropping his muggle ruck sack at his feet.  
"Did you guys forget there were _two_ bludgers?" I frown at him before grinning at his apologetic face. "Stop being nice Damon, it's a bit scary."  
"Seriously though, you hit that grass like lead. At least Wood's thick head slowed you down," he mutters.  
"So everyone keeps telling me, what'd I miss yesterday?" I ask nodding towards the door.  
"Not much, just Ed falling all over Colleen."  
"I take it Wood didn't turn up? He maintained to Pomfrey that he'd fail if he didn't."  
"Nah, didn't see him."

McGonagall was five minutes late, which was practically unheard of but didn't say much as she let us in and Eddy took his usual seat next to me.  
"How'd that go then Casanova?" We take our textbooks out as McGonagall scrawls across the board.  
"Fine," he whips out parchment and starts copying.  
"I would have thought we'd nearly be done by now, but looks like this last unit is going to take forever," moaning I do the same, McGonagall is so long winded.  
"This isn't the last unit, there's two left you eejit, the unit on conjuring ends the Syllabus, so we'll be finished around the next quidditch match in April," the Scottish trill is piercing my still tender skull.  
"So what four weeks then, Gryffindor have a chance?" I ask quietly, scribbling her diagrams quickly.  
"Beat you didn't they," Eddy smirks.  
"Yea cos Damon can't count how many bludgers are in front of him," the beater in question kicks the back of my chair in answer and Eddy laughs out loud.  
"Mr Newton, Miss Piper, pay attention. This is a very difficult spell and will very likely be on the Newts," McGonagall gives us the evils.  
Ducking my head I finish scrawling theory while rolling my eyes.

"Piper," Woods catches me as I leave the classroom, "We need to start this project thing."  
I raise my eyebrows at his statement, do I look like his quidditch team, but answer with a sigh anyway, "When's the deadline then, do you know?"  
I make a start towards single block Divination, we might as well walk and talk, I think he's in this class too.  
"Week before the last quidditch match, we only have month left before we play Slytherin," he rifles through his bag and pulls out a dog eared piece of parchment.  
"Very…neat" smiling at my comment the parchment is shoved at me.  
"So you'll be busy then with practice?" Nazi Wood has no doubt upped his practises already.  
"Yeah, I was wondering, would you mind studying over lunch?"  
"Well I have Gobstones on Wednesdays but otherwise that would do," I read over the project, my own copy is still untouched in my bag.  
"So we research a spell, write its theory and demonstrate?"  
"Basically, I was thinking a healing one from the unit earlier this year, seeing as we have such a close relationship with the infirmary."  
"Sure, sounds great."  
"You could always fall off your broom again for a demo-" pushing him against the wall I march off to the trapdoor, leaving the burly quidditch player laughing behind me.

"I see Mars dominating your chart this month, Mr Wood, "Trelawney's hazy voice cuts through my slumber.  
Jerking awake I pull my star chart towards me quickly as the old bat continues to breathe dark omens down upon the quidditch captain. Emilia Santos, a rather dry Hufflepuff who sits with me in Divination, snorts as she colours in her chart with sparkly muggle pens.  
Soon enough she moves on, beaded necklace clacking like a nun, and I can't resist leaning over to Wood, he's sitting with his back to me, and whispering in his ear, "I guess that means _you're_ going to fall off your broom."  
The annoyed Scotsman turns and launches himself at my beanbag, I try to push him away, unsuccessfully, as he puts me in a head lock and messes my hair up.  
Emilia kicks at us, "The old bat is going to turn round in a minute."  
I bite his arm and he swears before releasing me and inspecting his arm, the teeth marks are stark against his pale skin, "Rabid bitch."  
Wood slides over onto his own pouf again, next to the only other Gryffindor in the class, the adoring Amanda Sands.  
"But really Wood, it would time well with our transfiguration project."  
Turning to me again, "How come you're even in Divination?" Wood quirks an eyebrow, "Aren't Ravenclaws supposed to despise this subject? I don't remember seeing you here."  
"She usually skives off, Trelawney always forgets there's a Ravenclaw in this class," Emilia has finished the star chart and is now flicking through a Witch Weekly.  
"Why are you in Divination?" Wood is a bit incredulous, "Shouldn't you be in Runes or something?"  
"This is an easy O Wood."  
"Spoken like a true Hufflepuff," laughed Emilia, "Here check out the new hair charms."  
"Ooh, I like that," I pointed to a witch with soft waves, "that might suit my long hair."  
"Is that the latest WW?" Amanda leans around a mildly horrified Oliver to gasp over the latest straightening charm.  
The poor boy closes his eyes before resting his head in his arms.

I have a free period before lunch but rather than sit in the stuffy library Eddy and I make our way down to the Lake, there's a bit of a cold breeze but I lounge below a tree with Fifi LaVolle's latest novel anyway. Eddy scoffs at my not so intellectual reading and tucks his nose back into the history book from earlier. Before long Penny comes across us, "Hey guys, are you studying? I have a Potions essay due, can I join?"  
"Sure but Eddy's doing some light reading and I'm doing feck all so you might not get many study vibes from us," chuckling she sits down anyway.  
"Is that a History of Magic book Ed?" she leans towards him to peruse the title, doing the flicky hair thing she usually does when some poor unsuspecting sod is in her line of sight. I feel my eyebrows lifting. Penny might come across as a studious Head Girl but she sure goes through boyfriends like I do hot dinners.  
"Just a thing about Goblin Wars," he replies with a grin.  
"I always hated History of Magic, it irked me to no end to be bad at a subject," leaning back on her hands she crosses her legs right in front of him. No guesses to where his eyes go. They continue their little conversation, which gets flirtier by the second, and until I feel like a spare part. Penny has one of those soft, high voices and I'm pretty sure she's attempting to sound breathless.  
"You know I think I might go for a walk, I want to get lunch early anyway since I've got this project thing with Wood," the two barely reply and I distinctly feel uncomfortable. I feel worse when Percy Weasley nods hello as I pass him on my way into the Great Hall, obviously looking around for his girlfriend.

By the time I eat and find Wood in library, or rather he finds me as he rushes in late, we only have twenty minutes to make a start. Pulling out a clean sheaf of paper I carefully write a heading and underline it, when I look up Wood is staring.  
"What?" I automatically wipe my mouth in case I'm covered in crumbs. I'm partial to the biscuits and buns the kitchens serve up at lunch.  
"It took you, like, five minutes to write that heading," laughing he rummages in his bag for his transfiguration book. "You must be the most unRavenclaw like Ravenclaw I've ever met."  
"I'm lazy, not stupid," I roll my eyes before flicking through the unit he'd suggested in the textbook. Hogwarts is so stereotypical, just because I'm not overtly studious and intelligent everyone assumes I've been sorted wrong.  
We argue over what spell to choose until the lunch bell rings, sighing I start to put my stuff away, "Same time tomorrow?"  
"Yea, I'm free Saturday though."  
"Hogsmeade," I reply, no way am I missing Honeydukes.  
"Right yeah, I forgot. I need new wraps for under my keeper gloves," he follows me out the doors as I head for double Arithmancy.  
"I need chocolate," he rolls his eyes and mutters something about women as he turns in the opposite direction, before sauntering down the stairs to the entrance hall. Well that was a productive study session. Not.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter's a bit frivolous and pretty meaningless but I hope you enjoy it, I did have fun writing it. I'm a little nervous though, it's probably funnier in my head...

Chapter 3- And that's Dedication to Quidditch.

"Shirts off, shirts off…" Lisette chants from beside me in the stands as we watch a Gryffindor practice session, it's Thursday and the weather has still held up. Sixteen degrees in the shade has most of the girls in my dormitory waiting in anticipation. Hey, sixteen degrees in Scotland is pretty good. Not sunbathing weather but pleasant.  
"I highly doubt he's going to just start stripping."  
Lisette rolls her eyes at me, "Just because you get to stare at him at least once a day, let the rest of us gaze adoringly for a while. I can't believe you didn't realise you pretty much share all your classes with Wood."  
"Never noticed him, he's usually scrawling quidditch plays in a corner somewhere." Wood is still sweating away in his t-shirt, the three chasers are feeling particularly aggressive today, but the Weasely twins gladly acquiesce to our stares with great flourish.  
The fifth years are scrawny and pale but fly over and attempt to serenade us while striking Herculean poses, Velma chucks her finished apple core at them,  
"Now ladies, calm yourselves," Fred, I think, dodges laughing.  
"Twins!" Wood shouts over while trying to evade a stray bludger let out for practice, "Do you mind?"  
"Right Cap, on it," the red headed pair fly off whooping when they reach the black ball still honing in on Wood. With impressive enough strength they proceed to whack it backwards and forwards between each other up the pitch.  
"Funny boys, for fifth years," Camilla giggles before returning to finishing her charms homework.  
"They'll be a real force next year, " I add as I watch them work together across the pitch, the easy teamwork they've always shown is starting to polish up under Wood's dictatorship.  
"We're not here for the quidditch Lena," Cammy rolls her eyes.  
"I miss Charlie," Velma sighs and we all take a moment to reflect on the Spring of 1990. Even I can't argue with what an afternoon that was.  
"Hottest year on Scottish record," Lisette murmurs and everyone nods, noiseless for once.

"Ew, the Slytherins have arrived to practice, time to scarper. That Higgs always stares at my legs when I walk past," Camilla jumps up and puts her stuff in her bag.  
"Yea, and they don't even say anything, just leer like trolls," I add thinking of the sloth like Warrington in the Weasley twins year.  
"They aren't all bad," Lisette protests as we down the stands stairs.  
"Oh I forgot you have some sort of thing going with Rowle," I can see her start to bristle before finishing the sentence and I try not to smile.  
"We don't, he's just my herbology partner," elbowing me she nods to the two girls below us and whispers, "don't start them."  
As we wander over to the path up to the castle an involuntary shiver runs through me, glancing back I can see the dementors gliding around the gates a couple of hundred yards away.  
Lisette shoots a quick cheering charm as we hurry away from the pitch, "Creepy monsters."  
"Like they could keep Black out anyway," muttering I pull a slightly melted chocolate bar out of my bag.  
"Like they could keep him in Azkaban," Camilla quickly transfigures the chocolate solid again and sneaks a piece.  
"There's been no more sightings since he tried to kill that Weasley kid though right?" Velma looks slightly worried.  
"That was weeks ago, no doubt he's given up until summer," I try to reassure her, Velma worries over nothing, Black doesn't want a couple of Ravenclaws anyway.

The Great Hall is cool despite being airless and students wander in and out past us as we congregate at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Lisette carefully eats an apple while I gorge a club sandwich to myself. Velma is painting her nails with red, muggle nail polish. A rather pointless feat seeing as she has Sinistra next with me for Astronomy theory and the old hawk will go mental at the sight of it.  
Eddy sets himself down on the bench beside me, smelling faintly of fags.  
Glancing at his slightly skewed uniform I laugh "Where have you been, are you hanging out with those stoners from Hufflepuff again? Don't you remember what happened the last time?"  
Last time they got busted by Trelawney, of all people, who reported them all to their Head of House for smoking weed behind the greenhouses. Only Eddy, must have been the only time the barmy hermit stepped out of her cave.  
"Nowhere," he mouthily replies before helping himself to sandwiches, "Was only having a smoke, don't get all Percival on me".  
"Have you guys had your career meetings yet?" Lis turns to us.  
"Nope mines tomorrow," we look at the blond to see him shrugging.  
"Flitwick gave me a few leaflets but I think I'll probably go down the law department route, I'll be making some ministers coffee for the next year," Eddy laughed.  
"Well, I was thinking about trying to get my potions licence but I don't know how that will go with Snape for a referee," she glanced towards the heads table darkly.  
"Aw don't worry, the bat of doom will be alright. I'd be really terrified of my reference if I was a Gryffindor."  
I laughed in agreement with Eddy, "He's more vicious than your average Slytherin isn't he?"  
"Ah but he's one of those rare ones," the grinning boy held up a finger imperiously, puffing like Percy, "he actually has a brain, and it translates more than just your average Trollish."  
"What are you doing when we leave next year anyway Lena? Have you decided yet?" Lis sits on her hands.  
"Dunno, got a letter back from a couple of quidditch teams."  
"What to play?" I whack Eddy for looking surprised but laugh anyway.  
"No, there's a few management positions open, public relations, advertising, that sort of thing."  
"Well at least you can't fall off doing that," I whack the smart arse again for good measure.

I sit in the library after tea that evening, my mood is decidedly low as I seethe away to myself, Wood is either supremely late or a no show. I look like a right prat, obviously waiting for someone for over half an hour now, who obviously isn't going to arrive.  
Two Slytherin third year girls are giggling and shooting smirks at me, god the snakes learn young, I shoot a pinching hex at them and they start shrieking as I get up to walk out. Laugh it up bitches.  
Sighing, I pause in the corridor and wander what to do next. The quidditch pitch is probably a good bet so without further ado I march down to the entrance hall.  
Needless to say, the pitch is eerily empty and the changing rooms are all locked so by the looks of things Wood is definitely not over practicing as usual. Nothing for it then turning on my heel I head for the Gryffindor tower and camp out until a poor unsuspecting blighter wanders up to enter the common room.  
A nervous looking third year stares at me wide eyed when I yell 'oi' at him, he strokes his toad comfortingly as I order him to check if Oliver Wood is in there. A few minutes after stumbling over the password, with me glaring at him to hurry it up, the squirt ducks through the portrait hole, but he soon returns with a shake of the head.  
"Fine, are the Weasley twins there?" he nods and looks even more horrified when I tell him to bring them out. Poor kid even forgets to ask who I am when he shuffles back in.

"Ah Piper, what can we do for you?" One of the ridiculous pair addresses me as they appear.  
I'm slightly weirded out as they stand identically, hand on cocked hip, and blink in time, "Where's Oliver Wood?"  
"I'm disappointed Lena, here"-  
"Heartbroken" the other interjects with a mournful tone.  
"We thought it was our mind-blowing humour and conversation-"  
"Never mind the dashing good looks" an arm slips around my shoulders.  
"You were after?" the other finishes with a sigh.  
The level of creepiness is definitely upped with the whole 'we' thing, do they operate separately at all? But I answer them without mentioning it anyway, "No, I just want the captain."  
"Well he is a handful-"  
"But we're a two for one deal!" the wiggling eyebrows also creep me out.  
"Well I want to kill him, but I'll gladly murder the pair of you and all," I wave my wand about menacingly.  
They exaggeratedly lean back, away from me before the one on the left replies, "One second, we'll go see if we can find him."  
In a blink they are gone and I huff noisily at being left outside in the corridor, the Fat Lady purses her lips, "what?" I snap angrily at her nosy face.  
"So unladylike the girls these days. In my time, you would never address another student in such a manner," she sticks her nose in the air and I gape in wonder. The _Gryffindor_ portrait was a snob, in a house full of idiots, most of which were as rough as get out. Here I thought that false manners and decorum only existed in Slytherin.  
At least our knocker wasn't so pass remarkable, even if nobody could answer the riddles half time.  
One twin emerged with a sneaky smile, "Well we know where he is…"  
"Do tell?" I roll my eyes.  
"For a small fee," the other bounced out beside this one, who had a larger freckle on his right cheek. Still didn't know which was which though.  
I pretend to think deeply for a moment, and stretch it out to two just to annoy them, "How about I don't tell Flitwick that you are the bulk suppliers of dung bombs to first years at Hoggywarts?"  
"Like he doesn't know?" they scoff, leaning against the wall as contented as cats.  
"Ok, how about that little lab you've got cooking in the empty classroom on the fourth floor." They open their mouths but I continue smiling, "Me and Eddy took pictures."  
"Broom cupboard on the third floor with Mallory Flukes."

I march fuming, a broom cupboard? How unoriginal, I was going to pummel him. Mallory 'Do carrots grow on trees?' Flukes, really, Wood was showing his true colours there. I guess nice but dim must be attractive to Quidditch captains.  
To think everyone thinks he has nothing in his head but Quidditch, obviously not? 7th year randy boys, they're all the same. God I can't wait to leave this school.  
I find to the door quickly enough and wrench it open to find Wood sitting on an upturned bucket, he's facing the rosy cheeked Mallory as she leans against the opposing wall. To be honest, they'd look pretty tame if her lipstick wasn't smudged half across her smirking face.  
Pulling him up by the ear he realises it's me and swears, "I forgot, seriously Piper. It isn't what it looks like-" he winces at what I know is my best glare, "I know how that sounds but actually-"  
"See you next week Oliver," Mallory smiles at the keeper as she squeezes past us, flicks her hair and saunters down the hall.  
I frown after her before rounding on him, "What, exactly, made you forget our project then?"  
"Quidditch plays."  
I raise an eyebrow, "Mallory 'I might break a nail' Flukes?" He breaks out of the pincer hold I have on his ear, silent at my sarcasm.  
God he's not offended? This is the Mallory who doesn't know the first thing about quidditch and insists to all that she has no intention of learning.  
"You see, her Cousin's the Captain of the Wigtown Wanderers and I've been getting her to owl him for some of their plays," he clears his throat after his rushed sentence and fidgets with the battered ear.  
"You are such a bloody anorak Wood," I shake my head, to be honest I'm quite enjoying his obvious mortification. "Quidditch plays?"  
Smiling sheepishly he ducks his head and strides off down the corridor.  
"Here," I follow, running to catch up with his long strides. "What exactly did she get in return then?"  
The burly Gryffindor offers no answer but I hoot at the tell-tale blush creeping up his neck, towards the hair curling around his ears, who knew he could go so red?  
"Shut up," he mutters as I elbow him in the ribs.  
"Aw the things you'll do for quidditch _Oliver,_" I snort after mimicking Mallory's breathy way of elongating the O. "Can't say you're not determined."  
"You've no idea," he mumbles, "Library?"  
"I dunno, are you charging time even though it's officially sanctioned schoolwork?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So not an awful lot going on in this chapter, mostly a lot of gossiping. But who doesn't love a good gossip?

Chapter 4: Hogsmeade Drama

Wood actually made it to lunch today, five minutes early and everything, pity he can't look me in the eye when he sits down. Myself, on the other hand, can hardly keep from laughing.  
My book is settled on the section detailing conjuring spells, we figured we'd have to botch a transfiguration or something to demonstrate a healing spell. That or I'd have to break Wood's nose just to transfigure it back to normal, so I was intently searching for something impressive enough for McGonagall but easy enough for me to do on the spot in front of everyone. All the same, breaking Wood's nose could be fun as well.  
"Furniture might be the way to go, conjuring wise," I stop at a page that looks interesting.  
The Gryffindor suddenly slams his book shut, "I only snogged her."  
Surprised I drop my quill and look up at him, "What?"  
"It was only the once, bit of a laugh," he soldiers on, red faced, and I feel a smile creeping onto my face as he intently stares at anything but me.  
"It doesn't matter, you don't need to explain. I was only keeping you going Oliver," I wave a hand and roll my eyes.  
Poor lad, it isn't as if I'm his girlfriend but he's obviously hung up over the whole thing.  
"She never stops flirting and it was the only way she would get me those plays."  
I guess he thinks it's best to get it all out in the open, the Gryffindor girls would pay me to hear this.  
"You're dedicated I get-"  
"But their keeper is like, the best in the league. I had to know how he does that loop," he's getting worked up and I feel like I'm approaching a mad dog. I get the strange feeling to pat his hair or something. Oh God I'm getting as bad as Mallory Flukes.  
"It's ok, whatever. Not my business." I open his book to conjuring and push it over the table, "We'll forget all about it."  
"Right, yeah," running a hand through his hair he looks at the textbook.  
"After I tell the Weasley twins, of course," I smirk as his eyes widen.

Flitwick looks mildly disappointed with me.  
"Management Miss Piper? But you were the only Ravenclaw quidditch player to be offered a reserve team spot."  
Never mind that I'm the only Ravenclaw quidditch player graduating, God love Flitwick, he was probably dreaming of all the people he could tell about me when I was famous.  
"I don't want to play, I like the look of these Professor," I push the other letters forward, the ones regarding Puddlemere's job application for assistant to the Wizarding Relations Officer and assistant to the Manager of the Pride of Portree.  
The little wizard sighs and finally nods, "Whatever you wish, I shall read through these and set another meeting for next week, In the meantime I will ask your teachers for their references."  
I smile and stand up quickly, "Right then, thanks professor."  
"Have you even flown again yet Lena?" the faltering voice questions before I can get out the door.  
"Why bother?" I cheerily ask, "Not much point, what with quidditch being over for us Ravenclaws this year."  
"I wouldn't like the fall to be in the back of your mind," he gently smiles, "Even if you and Davies don't see eye to eye you could try flying again with others. Friends?"  
"I can fly ok Professor, just not much interest anymore. Besides, NEWTs are nearly here, got to concentrate on those," he nods, his inner teacher kicking in, and I high tail it out of his office.  
Later that night I turn the familiar pieces of my cleansweep over and over in my hands, before finally getting up and closing them away in the bottom of my trunk. Maybe next week I'll take a school broom out for one last spin.

The walk to Hogsmeade is damp and mizzley, there is a return to the usual May weather and I curse my hair going to frizz.  
Lisette walks with me, ahead of Velma and Camilla, and we shiver as we march past the dementors as quickly as possible. The faceless spaces in their hoods turn eerily to us as we walk through the gate and I can't help but sidle closer to Lis.  
"Where are off to first then?" I turn to look at all three girls.  
"I need new tights," Lisette dives into her bag and emerges with an old tights packet, "Always forget the colour," she explains at my puzzled expression.  
"We've been wearing them for nearly seven years, muggle metal grey, how could you forget?" I sometimes wonder about Lis, she's far smarter than me, far smarter than most of us but the most ordinary of things escape her.  
Velma nods, "Well Gladrags supposedly have new makeup in, according to WW anyway."  
"Sounds good," Cam smiles and we make our way down to the end of the street.  
Zonko's is heaving with younger students, as usual, and we carefully sidestep any stray kiddies testing their new buys.  
Gladrags is a smallish boutique, a plaque of a curvy witch dangles above the door and a bell chimes as we wander in. The smell is unmistakeably that of new clothes and I finger a lovely deep blue cloak trimmed with black velvet, Cam flicks the price tag for me and we giggle.  
"Sure, you can buy that when you marry some rich quidditch player you'll meet next year," she whispers, shaking my head I follow her to the back of the shop where Lisette is picking out new tights.  
"Maybe I should get some sleekeeze then, might as well sort one thing out at a time," I snort thinking of the parades of models and society witches quidditch players are famed for stepping out with.  
"You'll already have a shoe in for Wood," she raises an eyebrow before turning to the only one of us capable of snatching a professional quidditch player (not necessarily by his choice though).  
Velma, the witch in question, is in the far corner trying all the new testers on.  
"Looks great Vel but where are we going?" Camilla enquires, picking up the new miracle foundation. One layer last 24hours apparently.  
"Maybe Professor Lupin will be in the Three Broomsticks?" giggling they leave the testers back.  
The shop assistant glares at us over Lisette's shoulder for not buying anything, fat chance, I barely have enough money left over from Christmas to buy a butter beer.  
"What age do you think he is anyway?" Camilla wrinkles her nose, "He's awfully grey isn't he?"  
"Well he is off sick a while lot," I chip in, opening the door as we go outside to wait for Lis. Everyone loves Lupin, I bet he was cute when he was a 7th year.  
"Maybe I do need an older man," Velma purses her lips together, "Finn certainly went younger."  
"He didn't go younger, he went cradle snatching," Lis snorts as she joins us outside, tucking her paper bag into her handbag, and Velma smacks her arm.  
"A fourth year, honestly, it's only because she worships him," Velma rolls her eyes and takes a pack of cigarettes out of her bag.  
"No," the three of us chorus and she sighes, putting them back.  
"You haven't even smoked all term, why carry them about?" I ask her, just to distract from the sore topic of Finn Finnigan.  
"Kinda comforting, knowing they're there for a rainy day," she laughs and I lead the way back up to Honeydukes.

Honeydukes had been busy and I'd waited ages to pay for my chocolate stash, I hate queuing and end up nervously throwing my change all over the place when it's my turn. Being clumsy is so embarrassing, especially in front of the shopkeeper's nephew, he's only a bit good looking but all the girls were mad for him when he was at Hogwarts so I can't help redden when I drop the knuts everywhere. As if standing there counting out the knuts wasn't bad enough in the first place.  
The girls and I finally make it to the Three Broomsticks for lunch, after elbowing our way out of the sweet shop, and find the pub as busy as ever.  
Setting my stuff down at a spare table alongside the wall I quickly dash up to the bar for some menus.  
"I wish we could get something stronger, butter beer needs an added kick," Velma moans when she catches sight of Finn.  
The Irish boy is sitting at a small table on the other side of the pub, his arm is around a fresh faced girl with dark hair and he's grinning with his usual charm.  
"Ignore them, it's been a month," Lisette rolls her eyes and asks us our orders before getting up to give them to Madame Rosmerta, I give her the last of my Christmas money, the pair of us are skint so we've agreed to go halfers and share.  
"What does he see in a fifteen year old girl anyway?" Velma narrows her eyes at the pair. I swear Finn has seen us though because he's ramped up the sleaze.  
"Well, it's like you said, she adores him," Camilla replies, fixing her foundation in a pocket mirror.  
"Doesn't have to put up with her backchat, makes him feels manly and important," I laugh pointedly and Velma makes a face.  
"Well I doubt she puts out the stuff he really likes," she mutters angrily.  
"Tmi darling, you never know. They start young these days," Camilla grins at me as I roll my eyes.  
"Can we not talk about him, he knows we're here and it's making him more proud of himself," we've talked of nothing but Finn in the dormitory for a month, I really do feel like I know him far too well thanks to Velma.  
"Did you hear that Matilda Barrows charms essay failed the plagiarism spell last week? The Weasley twins say it isn't one of theirs, they've never failed a plagiarism spell yet," the girls set into gossip and I patiently wait for Lisette to return, but she's got wound into conversation with Penny and Percy and keeps glancing at me, false smile in place.  
"Be back in a minute," I tell the girls before joining the couple.  
"Well Penny, what you been at?" I ask my dorm mate.  
"Percy and I were at Schrivenscafts just," she shrugged, focused on her drink.  
"I see our food already Lis," I elbow her and nod to the floating tray making its way to our table.  
"Blimey that was quick," Lis mutters, almost thankfully, we say a quick bye and head for the table again.  
"Thank God you came over, thought I'd never get away," Lis rolls her eyes.  
"Did I tell you about her suspiciously overt interest in our dear Eddy?" I forgot to tell her yesterday, "They made me feel like a third wheel, maybe I'm paranoid but something strange is going on there."  
Lisette stares at me confused, "You know what," she finally says. "Why am I not surprised, he fancies Colleen so somehow makes the logical decision to chase someone else's girlfriend," rolling her eyes we sit down again. "But yeah, you could be paranoid, but then, she can get pretty flirty. I caught her on patrols with the Hufflepuff prefect, Aidan Finchley, last year when she going out with that guy from the year above us. Swore me to secrecy, so it couldn't have been a 'close, intimate conversation' like she claimed."  
Digesting all this I reach for my sandwich half, "Why am I only hearing this now?"  
"Well I swore not to tell didn't I?" Lis digs into her lunch.  
"I always thought she was bitchy but not quite so…" I'm lost for words, to think I've lived with the girl seven years.  
"Slutty?" Velma cuts in smirking, "Penny is a serial cheater."  
Now Lis and I stare at the other two, I guess we'd forgot they were still sitting here. Velma looks delighted with the turn of conversation.  
"Yea, do you know she went with that Pansy Parkinsons' older brother when she was with Harold last year," Cammy said matter of fact over her soup.  
"How'd you know?" Lisette looks put out.  
"She thinks we're slutty too so for some reason confides," Velma shrugs. Lis looks at her pointedly and the other girl huffs, flicking her soup spoon at us as we cackle together.  
"Almost feel sorry for Pompous Percy," Camilla adds softly, "As if having brothers as cool as Charlie and Bill didn't make getting a girlfriend hard enough."

We finish our lunch but it's howling a gale outside so we all decide to sit tight before getting back up to the castle, the doorbell rings as the 7th Gryffindor boys, minus Percy, come bouncing in. Wood and Boot wander up to the bar, shrugging soaking coats off to put in front of the fire while Benny Dunstan and Josiah Hawkins make a beeline for their roommate Finn. Velma tries not to stare as they very obviously take the piss out of Finn's fourth year girlfriend, blushing she eventually gets up and walks out in a huff.  
"Oh come on," Benny calls at her back as he drops into her vacant chair, self-satisfied smirk in place. Josiah shakes his head and takes a fuming Finn's seat.  
Finn stalks past our table, not taking notice of Velma, whose laughing openly and blowing Benny a kiss, as he chases his girlfriend.  
"Hey ladies," Lionel stops at our table with his butterbeer, Wood not far behind him.  
"Hiya, Lionel, Oliver," Velma smiles, "What a gale, eh?"  
They nod and Lionel smiles at Camilla, who blushes a bit and looks at the table.  
"Got your strategy all sorted then Wood? You better beat those slimy gits for us," Lis elbows the brawny captain, he looks straight at me and I raise an eyebrow.  
Then I remember, he thinks I've told her, smothering a laugh in my tankard I try to shake my head unobviously. Lisette is staring at him, confused by his silence and looks at me with her usual suspicious 'I'm in nosy bitch mode' face on.  
"Oliver is overcome with nerves at the thought of playing the big bad Slytherins," I dryly comment, trying to diffuse whatever this is.  
"Sorry Lis, you got me thinking about something I wanted to tell the twins, must remember later," he smiles convincingly and she nods. "And I am not afraid of Slytherin, Flint couldn't win this match even if he had a time turner," there comes my snarky reply then.  
"Right Lionel, Benny and Josh look lonely," Oliver gets up, tankard in hand.  
The handsome Boot looks confused glancing over at their dorm mates, who are being chatted up by two Hufflepuff seventh years.  
"What? No they don't-" Oliver nods goodbye and grabs his friend, hauling him up by the arm.  
"Benny can't rid of the blonde one."  
"Oh. _Oh,_ that blonde?" I hear the two muttering as they walk off, "The one he got off with?"  
"While she was envisioning the ceremony, the dress and the flowers? _Yes_."

Boys.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: When Penny left Percy.

The grounds of the castle are quiet for a Sunday, the quidditch pitch is deserted. I'm standing smack bang in the middle of the expanse of grass with my broom in my hand but I can't bring myself to do anything but stare blankly ahead.  
Logically I know I won't die from falling from my broom, my magic saved me from smashing my skull to bits during the match but I'm not invincible. My breathing is heavy and sluggish, the opposite to my usual sharp, nerve driven breaths but I drop the broom from my hand anyway and watch it hover just below my grasp.  
'Don't be such a child,' chiding myself I swing a leg over the broom and settle into the familiar grip, striking off is surprisingly easy and I find myself grinning with the slight adrenalin buzz releasing into my system.  
One solid lap later and I'm smiling and sinking back into my usual mind set, I speed sprint a few laps and think about a dive. Diving has always been my favourite thing about flying, so I think about an easy play I've been able to pull since my second year.  
Everything still seems usual business and I stretch out gathering speed down the path of the easy incline, I visualise a snitch before a glimpse of black veers across my left peripheral. Shooting up out of my dive I twist left and right, staring about with my heart in my mouth before I realise it can't have been. This is only practice, and not even team practise, it must have been a bird or something. Gasping for breath like I'm winded I keep looking around but there's nothing there.  
Descending, I land and march across the pitch, unexplainably angry for some reason, I'm annoyed at myself. I know it's unreasonable but the flush of anger is maddening, it's only flying. I have flown my whole life, how can it be so hard now? This isn't the first fall I've had, and I've always been perfectly fine afterwards.  
Placing the broom back into the cupboard I sigh and make my way out of the stands, footsteps echo on the wooden floor and I'm startled to see Roger and Damon rounding the corner.  
"Hey Lena, want to come for a bit of a throw around?" Roger has an old quaffle tucked under his arm, broom raised in invitation.  
"Nah, s'alright guys. Just finished a few laps, might go do my charms essay," I try to sound cheerful and Damon looks at me unsettlingly as I brush past the two players quickly. Roger starts to complain but I'm off out through the open entrance before he can finish. No doubt Damon won't let it lie but I've escaped for now.

The library is fairly buzzing for a Sunday afternoon but there's a right few tables for me to choose from, I sit down beside a window in the main study area. Charms essays are pretty boring, usually just researching the theory of our practical classes and I whizz through the basics of the muggle repelling charm. I love well used spells like this, I can waffle for feet no problem.  
"What?" comes the hesitant voice an hour later as I'm tailing off my conclusion.  
"It's not _you _Percy," I try not to snort, Penny is sounding a little desperate.  
I look up to see her glancing around to check whose staring at them, a rather dumbfounded Percy is just looking at her puzzled.  
"What do you mean Penny? I thought we were alright," he's actually sounding normal and I feel sorry for him. Percy gets so caught up in being Head Boy and getting that Ministry job that he forgets he's a Gryffindor sometimes.  
"You seeing someone else?" the anger in his voice flusters her, Penny really thought this would be easy to wiggle out of.  
"No, of course not. I just think that with NEWTS soon, we'd be better with breaking now, it's not as if we'll be together after Hogwarts is it?"  
"Are you serious?" Percy is gaping, "Sorry to waste your time Penny, I didn't realise that after Hogwarts we'd just go to two different ends of the earth. You know, what with the both of us working in the Ministry and all."  
Penny's surprised, hell I am, Percy actually sounds like a Weasley when he gets all riled up and she opens her mouth but no noise comes out.  
Lionel and Oliver have descended upon the desk to see what's happening with their roommate.  
"Alright Perce," I hear Lionel ask all casual.  
"We were heading to the Common Room to do some Potions work, dead noisy in here," Oliver remarks, shooting Penny a dirty look while cocking a hip against the table.  
Penny is glaring at the two of them for interrupting but I feel faintly relieved they're breaking up the drama fest that's occurring in front of everyone.  
"Right," Percy replys quietly. "Perhaps I'll join you."  
"Yeah man, we could do with a hand with that essay on Veritaserum," Lionel grabs a couple of Percy's books and the two boys pretty much herd him out of the library. Penny looks a bit befuddled by the whole thing but lifts her stuff and leaves, blushing because of the number of people whispering about her. What did she expect? Splitting with her boyfriend in the _library_, honestly, she's supposed to be one of the smartest girls in our year. I guess brains and common sense don't always go together.

Lisette marches into the library twenty minutes later, everyone has gotten over the excitement and is quiet again.  
"What happened?"  
"Where is she?" I reply.  
"Velma and Cammy are attempting to talk to her in the dorms but it's not going well, she won't say anything," she replies sitting down beside me.  
"Well she split with Percy, in here, basically," I close my Transfiguration book and wave a hand around vaguely before starting to pack up.  
"In here?" Lis raises her eyebrows, sneakily glancing through my finished Charms essay.  
"Yup, was a bit of a dingdong before Lionel and Oliver whisked him away," standing up we make our way past Madame Pince, who is glaring at Lis' inability to whisper.  
"Didn't take it well then?"  
"Surprisingly not, felt bad for him," shrugging we make it into the corridor, "Where we going?"  
"Common room. Well it's not like he saw it coming to be fair."  
"They never do, do they?" laughing we wander into the common room, Damon and Eddy are lounging beside the windows.  
"I take it this is your doing then?" I raise an eyebrow at Eddy and sit down, Lisette is talking to Damon and neither has heard me.  
Eddy glances at them before shaking his head, "Not my fault, I just liked chatting her up a bit, you know?"  
"No, Eddy. I don't, aren't you supposed to be chasing the redhead?"  
Rolling his eyes he sits up straighter, "Look, I didn't fancy her, nothing happened. I mean it's _Penny_."  
I must look unconvinced because he rubs his eyes and continues, "We flirted, there you go. I think she was getting bored of him, like she usually does, I didn't want to be her excuse again after the last time."  
"I'd have thought after the last time you would have the numpty to keep clear. She didn't say anything about you though so I don't think anyone's beating you up again."  
"I always get beat up, even if I'm not the suspect."  
"You have that look about you."  
"What look?" Lisette demands, butting into the conversation.  
"Nothing," Eddy shoots me a 'shut up or die' stare, like Lisette never worked out why he couldn't see out both eyes last Easter.  
"Lazy, good for nothing toerag look," I laugh, "not the Ravenclaw look."  
"No you really don't. That and you always reek of fags, why do girls find you attractive?" Lisette asks in all seriousness.  
Eddy looks beyond put out, "What is this? Slag Ed off day?"  
Damon is killing himself laughing opposite, "oh yeah, you're a regular babe magnet mate. They usually only talk to him to cadge a cigarette." The beater smirks at us.  
Eddy frowns huffily, "Like you're a great hit with girls."  
"Naw, them Hufflepuffs love Damon. Stoic, tall, dark Beater, they eat that sort of thing up," Lisette interrupts the lanky blonds rant.  
I nod in agreement, "he's all studious too so it's a bit of the good with the bad." Lisette smirks and suggests we head down for dinner before a real fight does erupt. Poor Eddy is staring at the other boy in bewilderment and as we leave I see a smirking Damon ruffling his hair as he gets up to follow, an extra swagger in his step.

"So did you fly this morning?" Damon asks, slowing up to fall in beside me.  
Eddy and Lisette are joking about ahead of us and don't hear, "Yeah, for a bit."  
"Well, was it alright, no jitters?"  
I can't be bothered explaining, and I don't want to if I'm honest, they'll all try and fix me and I'm not sure if I mind not flying anymore.  
"It was ok, bit nervous like but I got some solid laps in," shrugging I keep watching Lis and Eddy.  
The dark haired boy looks at the ground, walking with his hands in his pockets and I'm thankful avoiding his gaze isn't hard.  
"Did you get any letters?"  
"A few for the reserves just, you?" All the letters are lying at the bottom of my trunk to be honest, I've already sent the refusals back.  
"A few," he grins, "Going for it?"  
"Nope, I applied for a couple of management type jobs, you know assistant to Puddlemere PR lady, that kind of thing. I'm not dedicated enough to play properly, Hogwarts quidditch was just fun." Call me unambitious.  
"Christ, no wonder we lost," he groans and I shove him, "Not my fault Cho Changs' made of glass, she's always been more competitive than me."  
"She still can't do half the dives you can, you know?" he's looking at me with his 'even more serious than normal' face.  
"Is that a whole compliment Damon Fitts?" I feign wide eyed shock.  
"I'm not going to try to be nice to you again, that's it," he holds two fingers up to me before marching into the Great Hall.  
"Oh how mature, completely seventh year of you," rolling my eyes I follow to our table.  
Lisette is spooning shepherd's pie onto a plate and I pass her mine, "Really, after all this time at this school I still have to put your dinner out for you?"  
"Call me lazy."

"Are we actually finally finished?" Wood asks as we sit in the ever familiar library at lunchtime. Can't say he looks that stressed about the whole thing, his hands casually in his pockets while tipping his chair onto its back legs.  
"Yup, I feel like we should commemorate this moment somehow," I stretch my arms, god I hate conjuring.  
"Broom cupboard?"  
I kick the tipped feet and he paddles in the air like a lunatic before regaining his balance, "Have you got over your mortification enough to joke about that affair? You were just the epitome of balanced keeper right there, by the way."  
"It wasn't an affair," he hotly replies scowling, I openly laugh as he turns to look around to make sure no one has seen his near miss, or overheard anything I suppose. How damaging that would be for his keeper rep.  
"I think you've reached acceptance, what's next in the 10 steps to getting over embarrassment?"  
"Quidditch."  
"What?" I look at him, is that his answer for _everything_?  
"No, I feel like playing. C'mon, this is how we should celebrate."  
Without asking he picks up my bag and starts to walk out.  
"No, no, no. I am not playing, besides I'm a seeker, I refuse to try and score against you," I make a pass for the rucksack but he holds it above his head as we walk down the stairs to the entrance hall.  
"Don't wimp out, I need to keep in shape for Puddlemere," I jump about trying to reach my bag and he outright laughs.  
"Give me that," why does he have to be such a bloody giant?  
"Midget. We're nearly outside, you might as well."  
"No, I don't want to. Did you get an offer from Puddlemere?" I would have thought Oliver would have been Tornadoes material, Puddlemere is a little mediocre.  
"Yes, you do. Yes, I did. Who'd you get from?" I give up on the backpack and contemplate leaving him with it.  
"A couple, Wigtown, Harpies, some American team I've never heard of. All reserves of course. Why Puddlemere? Aren't they trailing in the league?"  
"Completely new chasers next year, the other three retired. I'm only reserve but the line up for next year's firsts looks good, so can't rule them out. Hopefully I'll get a few chances to play, you accept Harpies then?" he grabs me by the arm and trails me out the main doors.  
"I don't have a proper broom to play on Oliver, mine's in smithereens," I dig my heels in. "No thanks to your beaters, so really it's your own fault I can't play."  
"I'll lend you a Gryffindor one."  
"Why? Just get your team to play, besides isn't it some sort of Cardinal sin to let another team player near your brooms," he stops and looks at me.  
"I make them practice nearly every night of the week, the chasers alone would lynch me. Besides it good to practice with someone different, you don't count anymore either. You played your last match, I think you're safe around my brooms," I sigh and follow, I guess if I'm goal scoring I'll probably not be doing any hairy dives.

Attempting to score against Oliver Wood is rather nerve wracking, I don't know how Rodger and the chasers have managed it all these years. The Scot's attention is unwavering, not to mention a bit uncomfortable.  
"Christ, Oliver would you quit that?" I finally stop and tuck the quaffle under my arm, glaring as he raises his hands in bewilderment. We've only been playing for half an hour but it's worse than the Owl practical's were. Oliver can't switch Captain mode off, the unrelenting criticism and the aggressive defending is doing my head in, trust Wood to not be able to have a normal, friendly toss around like normal people.  
"You don't have to be so bloody _intense_ all the time, this is a bit of fun, not the penalty of a world cup final!" huffing I retie my ponytail as he chuckles to himself, weirdo.  
"No wonder Ravenclaw don't win," snorting he shakes his head, "If you can't practice like you're actually in a match then what use is practicing?"  
"Lighten up Wood," rolling my eyes I toss him the quaffle before heading down to the grass.  
"Oh come on, it's my captainness, I can't do friendlies."  
"No team in the world would agree to a friendly with any team you played for." As he touches down I hand him the broom he filched from the Gryffindor broom shed.  
"Find someone else to torture in your spare time, I'm going to proofread our assignment."  
"Nerd," he shouts after me, heading for the broom sheds.

"Where you have been?" Lisette is reading a book when I wander into the common room, which only took twenty minutes thanks to the damn knocker.  
"Library then Quidditch pitch" our assignment is almost a piece of art, Oliver's half is barely legible, his chicken scratch never becomes readable unless there's a little flying quaffle next to it. My half is glorious, if I do say so myself, perfected with Ravenclaw's best kept secret, a spell which makes any handwritten work the perfect size and spacing. Teachers love us just because our work is easy to read.  
"Quidditch?" Lissette looks up from her work.  
"Yeah, don't ask, I'll give you one word, Wood." I roll my eyes.  
"Well I suppose he is fanatical enough to get you flying properly again," she doesn't sound much surprised.  
"Ah, but he's really inherently selfish, looks like he'll be playing for Puddlemere next year. Needs all the help he can get," I laugh, spelling his works to neaten up, which works only marginally.  
"Puddlemere?" now she is surprised.  
"I know, he's insistent that they'll smash the league next year. Hell if I know," proofreading really is awkward when you can't read the word in the first place.  
"Shouldn't you know this stealthy quidditch stuff? We could be laying bets now!" looking at her watch she starts to gather her stuff up.  
"Quidditch is my hobby, I'm not married to it like Wood."  
"I'd marry Wood," Lis grins, "but first we had better get to potions."

For some reason, cough cough Lisette, Antony Rowle and Rudy Travers have deigned to sit behind us this potions class. I can't very well complain, they aren't doing anything particularly annoying and the class isn't big enough to warrant the segregation you used to get before NEWT exhaustion kicked in, but a person can't help feel untrustworthy towards them.  
This of course doesn't help my concentration when making something like burn paste, I wouldn't put it past Snape to light us up and then make us use our own potion. I look at Lisette beside me a little pointedly but she ignores me, I think she's reading the same passage again. Ah well, she can't escape my nosiness forever.  
"Miss Piper, daydreaming are we?" the giant crow that is Snape has swished his way over to our desk.  
"Concentrating Sir, wouldn't want to get the steps wrong," I smile my 'I am a naïve and innocent young girl' smile before totally ignoring him, heavy breathing and all.  
"Perhaps Miss Dunbar should do the same, that is not the correct shade for this phase of the instructions," alarmed Lis peers at her cauldron and then the book but Snape says no more, just launches off in his usual stylish exit.  
Maybe him and Trelawney should get together, I spend a moment imagining the pair of them swooping around together like bats.  
"I dunno, looks orange to me," I tell Lis when I finally turn to her potion, she starts to nervously flick the textbook backwards to see if she missed anything.  
Typical Snape, he glides in and turns perfectly intelligent students into quivering, nervous wrecks before sweeping off like a great bat. Talk about sympathetic teaching but the pair of us have a strange accord, I like potions and never make a mess so he doesn't breathe down my neck that much. Being a Ravenclaw is a little like being Switzerland sometimes and the Gryffindor versus Slytherin rivalry seems to be more vicious than ever. Must be this Black business.  
"It looks as if your heat is set too low," Rudy is leaning over his table to gawk at the cauldron now too. "Must be salvageable or he would have been creating a fuss," he adds, matter of fact, before slipping back into his seat.  
Lis turns the temperature up a little and we sigh in relief as the orange becomes brighter.  
"Better," Snape comments when he sweeps past again later.

When we finally finish I label my potions vial before heading up to Snapes desk to hand it in, turning back to pack up my stuff I notice Rowle's in my seat. As I wander back over to our desk I notice there is definitely some sort of weird Slytherin flirtage going on. Rudy is leaning against their desk, looking bored, but he looks up as I approach and rolls his eyes at the pair.  
The friendly snake look is a bit creepy, "Shame about the last match, pity you were on a cleansweep."  
I nod to him, he dark gaze settles on me and I inwardly sigh, I'm going to have to speak now that Lis hasn't gotten up to leave.  
"Yeah, it really should have been recharmed over the Summer but I never got around to it," hopefully he won't realise that's code for, I had no money to spend on broomstick servicing charms.  
"Doesn't Wood do them for half price?" he says carefully, "I thought the two of you were mates or something."  
"Not really," I say surprised, before this year I never said more than three words to Wood. Still it would have been nice to know he did servicing on the cheap, but all the same, Roger's drama if he had found out wouldn't have been worth it.  
"Still, Potter probably would have caught you on that firebolt anyway," he shrugs. Wow thanks Travers, way to soften the blow. Still it's a bit strange he didn't say that more bitterly. Elegantly leaning on the table with his hands in his pockets he's a typical old guard pureblood, just like Lis and her family, everyone stands oh so still with no fidgeting.  
"Much of a quidditch fan?" I ask as Rowle finally shifts so I can gather my stuff, Snape is glaring at our lingering.  
"Not really, team sports were never really my thing," he replies before lifting his bag and following Rowle out the door.  
Well that wasn't weird at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- The Flomping Kelpie

Oliver's quidditch match had finally arrived and it's a grey day, cold but on the dry side. Still the teams don't seem to notice much around them anyway, from my spot at the Ravenclaw table I can see the captain attempting to shove breakfast down Potter's throat, the third year looks like he might throw up, but then he always looks a bit on the edgy side if you ask me.  
"They need to win by over two hundred points, poor kid can't catch the snitch until they're fifty up," Damon shakes his head at them.  
"Wood'll have looked up every evasion and diversion tactic ever created by seekers, and Malfoy's stupid enough to just follow Potter all the time," as long as the Gryffindor's keep their cool this match should be theirs, this is the best team they've had since I started Hogwarts.  
"No doubt, but Flint plays so dirty it'll come down to penalties."  
"It always does with Slytherin," the Slytherins are on the far side of the room, huddled in their own pep talk at the end of the table.  
"Are we going to the match?" Lisette joins in.  
"Yes, of course," Damon looks at her incredulously.  
"What?" she defends, "It's a bit cold, I was maybe going to just go down to the library and start my revision."  
"It's the last quidditch final you'll ever see at Hogwarts and you're going to start revising instead?" I think Damon couldn't get more confused. He's a quieter, less forceful version of Oliver, completely demented by quidditch, but it's a fact that most people haven't really realised.  
"I have to agree, it's probably going to be the best match all year. Slytherin are going to be flattened, come on you eejit," I get up, pulling her with me.  
"Penalties," the beater sing songs as he leaves his empty plate and heads over to the rest of the Ravenclaw quidditch boys. They're waiting for him and Eddy by the hall entrance and I keep my grip on Lis' arm and look to Cammy and Velma.  
"You two coming?" Lisette looks pleading, "She'll be so engrossed, I'll be bored stupid on my own."  
I huff but can't answer, they gossip through quidditch matches and I ignore them, call it tradition.

"I'm freezing," Lis moans, hunching her shoulders and burying her hands in her classic Ravenclaw scarf.  
"It's not that cold," I roll my eyes, it actually isn't, Lisette is just making a production because she doesn't really like quidditch.  
"Is Flint going pro then?" Velma asks as we watch the giant Slytherin bash into Angelina Johnson just because she scored a goal.  
"I think he got an offer from the Falcons," Lisette replies and we all wince when Fred Weasley chucks his beaters bat at the back of the trolls head in retaliation.  
"How'd you know that?" Lisette with quidditch gossip I haven't heard?  
"Think Antony mentioned it in herbology," I raise my eyebrows but she ignores me.  
"Falcons suits him," Velma replies as he smashes the quaffle at Wood with more speed and strength than most teenagers.  
Wood, amazingly, has managed to save but the game continues in the same style, the Slytherin's are playing beyond their usual aggressiveness and everyone bar those in the silver and green stand stamp their feet in anger when Montague grabs poor Katie Bell's head instead of the quaffle. When the great sloth throws his hands up innocently at Hooch's whistle, the stands boo his obvious foul. The resulting penalty puts the Gryffindors thirty to nil but there's another outcry of booing when Flint manages to get one past Wood. The Scot looks traumatised at missing and I can see him berating himself under his breath from here.  
"Come on girls," Cammy cheers as the three chasers in red whizz across the pitch infront of us. "Oh my god, dirty rotten-!" Velma pulls her back down into her seat as she suddenly shouts at Bole, the sixth year beater, who has just hit Alicia Spinnet over the head with his beaters bat.  
All four of us groan when George Weasley elbows him straight in the face, there's an ongoing fight with Hooch yelling herself hoarse at the Slytherins.  
"Is he actually saying he thought she was a bludger?" Lisette is outraged as we try to hear what they're saying.  
"You're awful concerned for someone who hates quidditch," her responding glare is enough to make me laugh.  
I hold my breath as they line up for penalties again but Gryffindor are playing well and they score while Oliver saves Flint's heavy handed try.  
"Talk about a fast game, they've only been out about an hour," Velma is even looking interested as Bell scores again.  
"I bet Flint is wishing the dementors would make an entrance again."  
"The Slytherin's aren't playing bad but the dirty tactics end up doing more harm than good, most of the Gryf's lead is penalties alone," it doesn't help that Oliver's team have been practicing every day for at least the last week.  
"The two uglies have the bludgers," Camilla points two the Slytherin beaters who, true enough, are beating their way up the pitch.  
"Have they ever looked so in tune before?" I'm amazed at their elegance, Derrick and Bole normally bash around like trolls.  
The Weasleys are panicking, trying to catch up and intercept but it's one of those lucky one offs, where the bludgers are going exactly where they're being beaten too. The moment is tense as we all watch, the whole place can see they're heading for Wood but he's concentrating on the chasers flying up the pitch towards him and doesn't catch on to the two bludgers being aimed his way.  
"I can't watch," I'm in agreement with Lis, my heart's in my mouth as we watch Oliver get slammed in the stomach by both bludgers, the Slytherin beaters have never managed hits like it before.  
"He's managed to stay on," Cammy lets out a sigh of relief as we watch the poor keeper slump forward on his broom clutching his stomach.  
Hooch is whistling for a penalty already and when Johnson scores no one can miss Harry finally jump into action, he's stopped flying around aimlessly and instead searches purposefully.  
"They're 70-10, Harry needs to catch the snitch before they lose the advantage."  
"Or the chasers burn out, Flint's not letting up on the girls," Velma replies.

"Harry's seen something!" Cammy points up excited after ages of watching Potter and Malfoy fly around empty handed, and true enough the little seeker's in a dive.  
Malfoy isn't far behind but that firebolt is something, just as it looks like Harry's nearly there Malfoy does the unthinkable.  
"Did he seriously grab Potter's broom?" Velma is angry enough that her faux drawl has slipped.  
"Yup," Lisette replies, my heart sinks when Katie Bell misses the resulting penalty.  
Velma sighes when Montague scores in the next ten minutes, "What'd I say Piper, the chasers are tiring."

The match gruels on with a bit of a stalemate, Velma's gone off to gossip with some Hufflepuff's in the stand beside us and Lisette is reading her 'Charms Today' subscription. Cammy keeps sighing every now and then, I think she's getting as bored as Lisette and we cheer half-hearted as Angelina scores. The action picks up as Malfoy plummets into a dive, Harry isn't far behind and the firebolt is easily the quicker broom, what I would do for one of those. Catching up with Malfoy they're suddenly at a dead race but the firebolt handles far better and before we know it Harry has caught the snitch with both hands outstretched.  
"Thank god, is it over?" Lisette puts the paper in her satchel.  
"Yup, Gryffindor wins the cup," I pull a face at her, still a Ravenclaw at heart.  
"Meh, let's go get lunch," Cammy's gone over to find Velma so we wander over to the stairs and wait to file down with the crowd.

After Lunch I head to McGonagall's office to hand her a copy of the assignment, she wanted to read them over before we all present them on Monday. There's an air of excitement when I head into the common room after, Lisette rushes over with a smile, "We're all heading out tonight."  
"How come, we didn't win the cup?" I follow her up to the dormitory where the other two are rifling through old Witch Weeklies on Velma's bed.  
"Apparently the 7th year Gryffindor's want to go to that new dance hall in Diagon Alley after the Tower's party," she replies as I flop down onto my own duvet.  
"How are we getting out though?" believe it or not we've never snuck out during term time before.  
"We've to meet them at some statue which supposedly will take us to Hogsmeade," she shrugs, pulling the 'Charms Today' out again.  
"A _statue_?" I wonder how that works then.

The four of us are huddled beside the ugliest statue I've ever seen, it's so ugly I'm surprised I've never noticed it before, Eddy and Damon are leaning on it and I shiver in my only decent dress. At 10pm it's a dark, cloudy night but the corridor is lit up by Lionel's wand as he wanders down with Oliver, Benny, Josiah and the two Gryffindor girls.  
"Finn's babysitting the kid," Colleen reassures Velma, "There's no way she'd get in."  
Eddy's already eying the redheads figure hugging crimpoline dress as she joins us with Amanda.  
"Who we waiting on?" Lionel's glancing up and down the corridor, "We don't have much of a window before the teachers come back down here."  
"Did you ask any of them Hufflepuff girls?" Benny's groaning.  
Amanda glares at him, "No Benny, don't worry, you're safe from the big, bad Puffs."  
Glaring back he just slouches against the wall, hands in the pockets of his muggle jeans.  
"I invited Emilia, but I don't think there's anyone else," I reply and as if on cue she comes running down the corridor.  
"Quick, I think Filch is behind me," gasping she reaches us and Oliver and Lionel jump into action.  
Lionel taps the hunched back of the hag and it slides open to reveal a passage, the Gryffindor motions to us girls and hurriedly we all file down into the damp tunnel.  
"Shit, that was close," I think Oliver mutters as the boys clamber in last, the passageway sealing behind them.  
"I saw the damn cat come around corner, thought we were done for," Lionel replies with a laugh.  
"Right just keep going girls, according to the twins this should take us out at Honeydukes," obediently enough we start to clamber in the dark, "Oh and I've been told that if anyone else hears about this secret passage, they will rain Weasley terror down on all of us."

"Nice dress," Emilia tells me as we wait for the rest to climb into the dusty storeroom of Honeydukes basement.  
I smooth the cotton red polka dotted fabric, "Thanks, it's supposed to be muggle mod, I think. That's what my muggle cousin called it at Christmas anyway."  
"Cool, I don't have any muggle dresses with me but my muggle aunt bought me this at Christmas. Talk about handy, my mother would never think I'd need muggle fashion, not that she ever was a muggle or anything," Emilia rolls her eyes, she's wearing a cute drop waisted playsuit and with her carefully styled hair she's easily the prettiest girl here.  
"You're both so lucky," Lis joins us, "my mother doesn't let me wear muggle girls clothes. She says they're not proper," she rolls her eyes, "I had to borrow this off Vel."  
"Ah, you pureblood?" Emilia asks, "My father's a halfblood but my mother seems to have forgotten she was part of the muggle world at one point. She wasn't happy at how short this is."  
"Yea, we're the purest Scottish family left as she likes to remind me, she'd throw a fit at Vel's dresses," laughing she points at her short hemline.  
"I told you Lis, the sleeves balance it out," Velma shakes her head at Lis, we've already been over how scandalous Velma's clothing is.  
"I like it," Benny adds, wrapping an arm around Lis, sighing she shakes him off and we follow the rest out into the street.  
"Right, everyone can apparate yeah?" Lionel looks around and we all nod.  
"We're going to The Flomping Kelpie," Oliver adds before disappearing with a pop.

The Flomping Kelpie is technically a dance hall, but to think of it as a place to sip punch and dance a jive would be entirely wrong. Sure there are a few halls too improper for the pureblood old guard to deign to attend, frequented instead by young professionals, ministry clerks and healers in training. Still classier than anything the lot of us can afford, most muggleborns and halfbloods have muggle friends or relations so we end up going out in muggle London. My cousin Frankie and her friends talk about muggle clubs and over the Summer I got dragged along, it was a session sneaking me out past my mum. Who would have had a fit if she found out were we went, we spent all night dancing to this weird music and drinking sickening cocktails of unnatural colours.  
The Flomping Kelpie was in a seedy area, not quite Diagon Alley and more like two streets into Knockturn. The outside is a dive, the street we've apparated into narrow and dank, smelling like the bins scattered about at entrance.  
A curl of smoke adds to the murky fog and I look beside me to see Velma lighting one of her roll ups.  
"How do you smoke those stinking things?" Lisette curls her nose up from my other side.  
"Did you ever try to add the Euphoria elixir to it?" The cigarettes she smokes are muggle but we'd talked about lacing them with certain potions and stuff to see if they made a difference.  
"Yeah, put a batch in this packet of tobacco. Way better than the old muggle nicotine on its own, we should trying selling these things, we'd make a killing," she hands the cigarette out to me to try but I shake my head.  
"Nah, those things are deadly, according to my cousin Frankie anyway. Maybe we should just neck the Euphoria instead, skip all the rubbish."  
Velma shrugs, "Yeah but then we'll end up twitchers like those Hufflepuffs Eddy hangs around with."  
Too much Euphoria and you turn yellow and twitch like crazy, some kids ended up in St. Mungos last year for taking it, amongst other things.  
"Ready or what?" Oliver nods his head to the club. A giant of a man (perhaps half) is standing in front of the door, a strange thick smoke is curling up from under the threshold.  
As we approach the half giant slowly unfolds like a gargoyle, "Of age?"  
We all nod and a smile creeps onto his face, "Be warned, the door knows."  
Then he steps aside and returns to his uninterested stance as we all troop through the door which has now swung open.  
"Well, everyone's in unscathed," Lis murmurs as a blast of music assaults me. There is no band or speakers like in a muggle club so the owners must have rigged something up to play on magic rather than electricity.  
"We managed to reserve a table," Lionel shouts over to us and points to the booths which line the far wall. We cross the dancefloor, and pass what I'm nearly sure looks like a hag, Lionel taps the end of one of the booths with his wand before the rope which is draped across the entrance to the small space whizzes open and we can all scoot in.  
Once everyone's settled Lionel shouts about drinks, "Do you girls just want us to get you something?"  
Lis looks at me and so I hand her my few remaining galleons, scrounged from the end of the world stash at the bottom of my trunk.  
The blonde hands Lionel some of our money, "Me and Lena, whatever's on offer."

"Ooh, this place is so cool, about time Diagon Alley had somewhere half decent to go to," Lis looks around from our little booth.  
Little would be the appropriate word, I'm hanging onto the end just to stay seated while Lis is pressed against Eddy. Colleen's beside him in the corner and the rest of the girls, Damon and Benny and Josiah fill up the back bench and opposite side. The room is full of swirling coloured smoke and random strobe lighting, the witches and wizards out on the dance floor flash in and out of sight amongst the haze.  
"I wanna dance, but I need to be far more blocked than this. Where'd those two get too?"  
Lis nods, "I'm far too sober to dance, at least there's a smoke spell. No one will be able to see our acrobatics too closely."  
Just on time Oliver and Lionel appear back through the crowd, they're each floating a tray of drinks in front of them. I look at Lis as we take in the strange arrangement of glasses on the table, some are issuing smoke of various colours while a few look like they're on fire. Oliver squeezes in beside me, I try to budge up a bit but there's literally no room so I consign myself to being pressed against him. My life is such hard work.  
Lionel has resigned to sitting on the low table and is passing out change while pushing drinks in everyone's direction. Two of the curiously on fire glasses are pushed at Lis and me, alongside two luminous blue pint glasses.  
"What are these?" I ask Oliver as he downs his own concoction.  
"I think those are just lit fire whiskey, but the blue things could be anything. They were only a half galleon each and a whole pint so…" his brown eyes crinkle with laughter at the look I know is on my face.  
Gingerly I lift the fire whiskey, Lis picks her ups and nods at me.  
"Best to just down it if you don't normally drink fire whiskey," Lionel shouts at us over the music.  
Wrinkling my nose I lift it to my mouth and sigh before gulping it down, the burn is immediate. The fire is actually cool instead of hot like I'd expected and helps to a degree but the whiskey still burns the roof off my mouth as I finish the glass determinedly. Waste not, want not and all that.  
"That was awful," Lis is gasping a bit.  
Oliver hands me the blue pint, "Wash it down."  
I take a sip and grimace as the fruity taste clashes with the aftertaste of whiskey, "That didn't help."  
Laughing he swings an arm around my shoulders and presses closer, "I'm seriously going to fall out in a minute."  
Lionel pouts at us, "Oh yea, you get all snuggled up Wood. I'll just sit here on my lonesome," he sniffs, putting his nose in the air as we laugh at him.  
"Aww, come dance with me. I'm suitably liquored now," Lis winks at me as she gets up and he helps her climb over the table, pint in hand, as I scoot into her spot.

* * *

So not quite as long as the last chapter but a little more quidditch action, :)


End file.
